Buffalo Wings

I was late to the party on buffalo wings, having never been a huge heat fan. But with wings being one of my favourite things to eat, I got over myself and discovered the tangy goodness while on a trip to the States and never looked back.

I’ve tried a few different combinations of rubs and sauces over the years, but this is probably the best mix that I have landed on. Cooked in the kettle at high heat, you get some crispness to the wings while basting them in the sauce a few times to add the tang.

Dial up or down on the basting to make them as hot or not as you’d like, and serve with the remaining sauce or a blue cheese sauce for the side. Enjoy!

Buffalo wings dry rub

• 2kg of wings (we used the drummettes, but whole wings or flats will be fine – depends which part is your favourite)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 TBS cumin (ground, or grind your own, adds some more texture)
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 TBS garlic powder
• 1 TBS mustard powder
• 2 TBS salt flakes or kosher salt (to taste)
• 1 TBS black pepper, ground OR
• Moonshine BBQ Spiced Heat

Buffalo wings preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, using a fork or a food processor to break up any lumps, particularly with the sugar
2. Place wings in a ziplock back and add 3/4 of the rub to the bag.
3. Massage around to combine and place in the fridge for an hour

Buffalo Sauce

• 2/3 Cup of Franks hot sauce
• 125g unsalted butter
• 2 TBS White vinegar
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika

Buffalo Sauce preparation

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer while whisking
2. Remove from the heat immediately, and whisk to keep combined. Set aside until needed.
3. You can also balance it all out with a blue cheese sauce by combining

Buffalo Wings Method

1. Prepare your kettle for indirect cooking, using either a Kettle Kone or a full chimney of charcoal (we use Heat Beads coconut shell briquettes) and place in the charcoal baskets once ashed over
2. Remove the wings from the ziplock bag and shake off any excess rub
3. When the kettle reaches approx 375-400F, place the wings on the grill away from the heat and place the lid on
4. After 20 minutes, give them a turn and a baste in the buffalo sauce and sprinkle some more of the rub over. Place the lid back on
5. In another 20 minutes give them one more turn and a baste and then another 15 minutes and remove from the heat.
6. Serve immediately with the remaining sauce either poured over or as a side

You can also make a quick blue cheese sauce, which goes perfectly with the buffalo wings. Just blend up a 1/4 cup each of sour cream and mayonnaise, 80g of crumbled blue cheese, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and a crushed garlic clove. You may need to add a little water to loosen it up.